Can You Hear Me?
by Mina1914
Summary: Arthur has another dream of Francis, so he visits his grave to speak to him, only to learn something a day later.


Can You Hear Me?

Pairing: FrUK (very slight USUK)

Warning: Death!fic

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><p>"Arthur...Arthur!"<p>

Arthur opened his eyes to a bright scenery, raising a hand slowly to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun overhead. He lowered his hand after a moment, noticing that he – and Francis – were sitting in his garden. Francis and him were sitting at the glass table that he had put in the garden, two cups of tea in front of them.

"My, aren't you getting distracted easily today, hm?", the Frenchman spoke up with a smile on his lips once he noticed he caught Arthur's unamused attention. Arthur averted his eyes from the flowers around them to Francis' light blue eyes, a small twitch of a smile sliding across Arthur's lips.

For some reason, he felt choked up. Like he was going to cry. Except he didn't know why he felt like that. He doesn't remember appearing out here with Francis before him. And yes, Francis. Francis, the one who bothered him to no end. Apparently, he had been with him in his garden.

"U-Uh..yes..well..", the confused Brit trailed off, his fingers shaking slightly, which confused him further, as he reached to his tea. He curled his index and middle finger through the handle before he lifted it to his lips.

A soft chuckle came from Francis, "Are you well, _Sourcils_? Do I need to take care of you once more? Not that I mind at all." Arthur sputtered on his tea before he set it down, "Are you daft? Yes, I'm perfectly..fine. And even if I was bloody ill, I would never let you come near me!"

Another melody of chuckles came from Francis. Arthur hastily raised his tea to his frowning lips, but once he pressed the edge of the porcelain cup to his lips, a meek smile spread over them. He took a drink before he set it back down on it's matching small plate.

"I'm..just wondering. But..how come we're together?", Arthur asked in a confused tone, looking away from Francis' eyes. He heard a short pause of silence from Francis. Then he heard him shift in his seat.

"What do you mean..'together'?", he heard Francis ask. Arthur returned his bottle green eyes to his, "I mean why are you here with me..?"

"Oh.", he heard a nervous laugh come from Francis, "You invited me here, do you not recall, _Sourcils_?" Arthur nibbled on his bottom lip in frustration, "No, I don't remember." He jumped slightly once he felt a hand rest on his fist on the table.

He stared into Francis' aqua irises, ceasing to bite his lip. A soft smile grew on Francis' tender lips, "At least I'm here, _oui_? You don't need to remember." Arthur continued to look into his eyes before he tsked and pulled his hand away, "What ever are you going on about, frog?" Arthur dropped his eyes.

After he only heard silence come from Francis, he peeked over at him from the corner of his eyes. He saw him smiling brightly, his eyes gentle looking. Arthur's wide eyebrows raised slightly.

"Shall we go on a short walk through your garden, Arthur?", Francis asked happily, standing after he unfolded his crossed legs, looking down at the Brit with a sincere smile. Arthur looked up at him in confusion before he gave him a quick nod. To his slight surprise, Francis held a hand out for him. Arthur stared at it before he took it hesitantly and stood, Francis pulling him lightly.

But, Francis didn't let his hand go. They began to walk past the table to the hedges and patches of flowers, Arthur blushing slightly at the warmth of Francis' skin. After a minute of silence and gazing at the plants, Francis let go of his hand.

Arthur felt disappointed. He glared at the roses in front of them, continuing to be confused. Francis then placed a flat hand on the small of his back, over his waistcoat. Arthur's eyes widened slightly at the touch and sudden affectionate contact. His cheeks flushed a light pink once more.

"These roses are beautiful, Arthur. Well done.", Francis broke the silence with a light tone, Arthur staring at them dully. "Yeah. Um..thank you..", Arthur mumbled meekly, still well-aware of the hand on his back.

Suddenly, Francis turned to him, Arthur glancing at him. "Can I tell you something?", Francis asked, sliding his hand away from his back. Arthur exhaled in his head before he blinked, "Uh..sure."

A gentle smile spread over Francis' lips. Arthur watched him, his eyes never straying from his.

"I love you, Arthur."

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><p>Arthur's eyelids snapped open. He sat upright, his forehead dotted with beads of sweat. He panted slightly as he stared at the wall across from his bed with wide eyes.<p>

Then out of nowhere, he hid his face in his hands and began to sob, tears beginning to build in his eyes before they rolled down his pale cheeks, his eyebrows furrowed. His body shook as he cried loudly into his hands, the tears occasionally dropping into his palms. A burning sensation crawled into his eyes as he continued to shed tears, Arthur clenching his teeth from the pain.

After crying for awhile he went still, his face continuing to be hidden by his hands. Arthur grew silent, now only sniffling, before he lowered his slightly wet hands from his tear-stained face, his eyebrows furrowed.

His eyes stared at his opened palms, his breathing returning to it's normal rhythm. He raised his shaking fingers to his eyes, hastily wiping away the wetness. Arthur glanced at the digital clock on the night stand, reading the time.

5:49 a.m.

It wasn't tooearly to get up. Arthur heaved a sigh before he reached over to the edge of the comforter – his fingers continuing to tremble – and pulled it back to reveal his legs. He slid them over the side of the bed before he stood slowly.

He crossed the room to flip the lightswitch on, light filling the room, chasing away the darkness. Arthur rubbed his sore eyes with his fingers before he walked to the dresser. He glanced at the mirror beside it, noticing how red his eyes and cheeks were. He tsked before he pulled open one of the dresser's drawers and retrieved a black waistcoat and a white dress shirt.

After tossing them onto the bed, he shut the drawer before pulling open the bottom one and grabbing a pair of slacks.

Once he got dressed in the chosen apparel, he adjusted the cuffs and buttons before he grabbed his keys, cigarettes, and trench coat. He slipped the trench coat over his shoulders, and then he yanked open his bedroom's door before pacing into the hallway.

Even though he lived by himself, he had a large house. Well, it was if only one person was living in it.

Once he made it to his front door, he unlocked it before sliding it open, a gust of cold air brushing his cheeks. He sighed solemnly as he walked out into the cool air, shutting the door behind him with a click before he locked it behind him sluggishly.

He turned from the door, and looked up at the sky. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't bright. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm. It wasn't sunny, but it wasn't gloomy. A decent day for Arthur.

Another exhausted exhale blew from him before he walked down the few steps and into his driveway. He made it to his sleek black _Camero_ and retrieved his keys before he unlocked the driver's side and pulled the door open. Once he sat down onto the leather of the seat, he clicked the door shut behind him.

He slid the keys into the ignition before he twisted them, the engine purring to life. He lifted his eyes to the rearview mirror before he began to back out of his drive way, onto the road.

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><p>Gravel crunched beneath his dress shoes as he walked up the pavement to the cemetery, his eyes downcast slightly. His hands were lightly balled by his sides as he walked past the short gate that 'welcomed' the visitors.<p>

He noticed only a couple people scattered throughout the cemetery. He looked around, watching for the one he recognized. The soft dirt unsettled under his feet as he walked through the rows of the headstones, being careful not to step on any of the graves.

He went rigid once he spotted the one he was looking for that was resting underneath a chestnut tree, his breath pausing. After he paused, he hesitantly paced to it, until he was a few feet in front of it.

Only silence followed, the slight wind blowing through the leaves and branches of the tree above him. He opened his mouth to speak, but then snapped it shut again. After another minute of silence, he attempted to smile, but it only came out as a grimace.

"I...didn't bring you flowers this time..I..", Arthur choked out, his eyebrows furrowing. He paused before he raised a hand to clench his eyes, "You know I'm..not good at these sort of things..", he lowered his hand.

"But..I should have brought roses for you..I apologize.", Arthur looked down at the headstone, reading the carved letters for the hundredth time.

"I..miss you.", he whispered solemnly, his hands becoming fists by his sides. Silence only came from the headstone, Arthur smiling lightly at his stupidity of talking to it. He sighed lightly.

"I'm sorry..that..I've been..", he began, "..ignorant. I should have known. If only I had realized sooner, I...you...things would be different.." He felt his chest knot up. "I'm...so sorry.", Arthur whispered, his eyes beginning to tear up.

A single tear escaped his eye, the betraying emotion sliding down his cheek as he remained silent, his eyes fixed on the headstone. The leaves on the tree whispered, the wind disturbing them. A few minutes passed, Arthur continuing to shed solemn tears in silence.

"I..haven't realized..how much you meant to me..before you..", Arthur began quietly, trailing off as more tears escaped his eyes. "I'm such an idiot.", Arthur sobbed, raising his hands to harshly wipe his tears off his cheeks in frustration.

"Matthew and Alfred are doing...well. They both miss you. But, I think Matthew does the most. Out of all of us.", Arthur added that last lie, trying to cheer himself up. He attempted to smile once more, his lips trembling as he did so.

He sighed. "I..want you to know that...I had another dream of you. With me. It's been happening a lot recently..", Arthur admitted with a sad frown.

"I..think..I-"

"Arthur! _Arthur!_", he was cut off by a loud voice calling his name, Arthur clenching his hands, realizing he needed to finish. But before he could finish his sentence, a hand grabbed his forearm. He turned around to see Alfred's stern face glaring at him.

Arthur's eyebrows raised. "Why are you here? You're late for the stupid meeting! This isn't like you, Arthur!", Alfred shouted at him, his grip on Arthur's arm tightening. The Brit twitched at his grab on his arm, before he yanked his arm away, raising his hand to rub it gently.

"What..! I..I..", Arthur stuttered in a confused manner, his eyes blinking rapidly. He felt tears build in his eyes again, cursing to himself in his head. He noticed the look of pity flash across Alfred's features. Arthur raised his hands to hide his face as he sobbed into them, tears escaping his eyes again.

"Oh Arthur..", he heard Alfred murmur, "You need to get over him. He's gone." That made Arthur sob louder, his shoulders trembling.

He felt arms wrap around him, pulling him into Alfred's chest. He continued to cry into his hands, feeling the hand on his back run up and down soothingly.

"Shh..it's okay. Arthur, stop crying.", Alfred whispered before he kissed the top of Arthur's head, Arthur's heart-broken sobs becoming more spaced out until they grew silent. After Arthur grew silent, he slid his hands down from his face to his sides, now only standing in Alfred's embrace.

Alfred realized his stillness, unwrapping his arms to let him go. "Better?", Alfred asked, smiling lightly. Arthur kept his eyes away from Alfred's. "No.", he grumbled at the ground.

He heard Alfred heave a sigh, "Well, let's go. Everyone is waiting for me to bring you back." Arthur glanced back at the headstone. "C'mon.", Alfred placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder before he turned away and began to walk back towards the parking lot.

Arthur continued to stare at the headstone before he walked to the grave, crouching down. He reached out to place his hand on the dirt in front of the headstone, his bottle green eyes downcast. "Can you hear me?", he whispered, his eyes fixed on the grave before he stood and turned on his heels and walked after Alfred.

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><p><strong>Two days later<strong>

The leaves of the chestnut tree rustled quietly as Arthur approached the headstone, his feet stopping in front of the grave. He cracked a tiny smile, "Sorry if I'm seeming obsessive..", he began.

"But..", he started as he crouched down to lay the bouquet of roses on the soft dirt, "I think I understand why.."

He smiled softly as he rested a single palm on the dirt, "I should have realized sooner, Francis." He raised his eyes to read his name carved on the headstone for the one hundredth and one time. "Maybe I was afraid to realize. Maybe I was afraid you would leave me. But you only had the same feelings for me.", he frowned but then smiled again.

"I love you, Francis. Can you hear me?"

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><p>End of Can You Hear Me?<p>

A/N: _This..seemed a lot more heart-breaking in my head. OTL;;_

_Translations:_

Oui - Yes

Sourcils - Eyebrows


End file.
